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jubilees_bee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Drug use
Minor: Incest
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was very intrigued to pick up this novel, because it is Holly Black's first venture into adult fantasy. I was moderately invested in "The Cruel Prince" trilogy, and I was very intrigued by the premise of this novel being centered around shadows. Needless to say, I was very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed this story!
"Book of Night" follows Charlie, a young woman who was a low stakes con artist, just trying to get by as a bartender. She gets sucked back into the dark world of shadow trading when someone from her past reemerges. I really enjoyed that this fantasy novel was rooted in reality, with minor fantastical elements. I think it is so much easier to become quickly engrossed in stories that are written in this way. I also really loved seeing the flashbacks of a younger Charlie. It was a really interesting way to see how she learned her con artist abilities, and to see why she views the world how she does. She is rough around the edges, and a real underdog that you just cannot help but root for.
The ending had me at the edge of my seat, and I really hope we get to see a sequel soon!
"Book of Night" follows Charlie, a young woman who was a low stakes con artist, just trying to get by as a bartender. She gets sucked back into the dark world of shadow trading when someone from her past reemerges. I really enjoyed that this fantasy novel was rooted in reality, with minor fantastical elements. I think it is so much easier to become quickly engrossed in stories that are written in this way. I also really loved seeing the flashbacks of a younger Charlie. It was a really interesting way to see how she learned her con artist abilities, and to see why she views the world how she does. She is rough around the edges, and a real underdog that you just cannot help but root for.
The ending had me at the edge of my seat, and I really hope we get to see a sequel soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Drug use, and Alcoholism
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this one! The beginning was a little slow but then it really picked up and I could not stop reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Self harm and Physical abuse
looseleafellie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Holly Black’s adult fantasy debut follows Charlie Hall, an ex con artist trying to stay out of trouble. But when she witnesses a murder committed by a shadow, she’s thrown back into a world of magic and mayhem. If she can’t find the mysterious Book of Night in time, everyone she loves will be in danger …
This book started off a bit slow for me. Charlie’s backstory was fun to read, but the scenes in the present dragged at first. However, the second half of the book picked up, and the ending was a full-on rollercoaster!
The magic system was cool, even though I didn’t quite understand it. The idea of people being able to do magic using their shadows was really interesting. The story is also set in the area where I go to college, so it was cool seeing familiar places!
Overall, while this story didn’t grip me as much as I hoped, the twists at the end were awesome enough that I’m excited for the sequel! I’m hoping that with the setup done, a second book will be more fast-paced.
Thanks to Tor Books for the advance review copy!
CWs: blood/gore, body horror, self-harm for magic purposes, depression, panic attacks, captivity, child abuse, gun violence, drug use, loss of autonomy, and mentions of incest and cancer.
This book started off a bit slow for me. Charlie’s backstory was fun to read, but the scenes in the present dragged at first. However, the second half of the book picked up, and the ending was a full-on rollercoaster!
The magic system was cool, even though I didn’t quite understand it. The idea of people being able to do magic using their shadows was really interesting. The story is also set in the area where I go to college, so it was cool seeing familiar places!
Overall, while this story didn’t grip me as much as I hoped, the twists at the end were awesome enough that I’m excited for the sequel! I’m hoping that with the setup done, a second book will be more fast-paced.
Thanks to Tor Books for the advance review copy!
CWs: blood/gore, body horror, self-harm for magic purposes, depression, panic attacks, captivity, child abuse, gun violence, drug use, loss of autonomy, and mentions of incest and cancer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Child abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Incest and Cancer
sauvageloup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
SO GOOD! Wish i hadn't tried to rush quite so much because of the event and savored it a bit more but still loved it
pros:
- the magic!!! i haven't read a book (that i remember) with shadow magic in it and i loved the whole thing. the alterationists, quickened shadows, the way the magic became known to the general public through the internet, etc. all of it :D
- Charlie. She's such a mess but she never really means badly by it and I loved how there's the reveal at the end how's she's been holding herself back because she's been afraid of what happens when she really tries. Her nickname of the Charlatan, her past with Rand, her really grey morality but still being loyal and good at heart, as well as her proud sexuality and her relationship with Vince - she doesn't realise how much she likes him and they've kept so many secrets, and yet they're both totally dedicated to the other and i loved that :)
- all the other characters!! Vince was amazing and I didn't guess at all that he was Edmund's shadow, which i should've really, but i'm so glad Charlie wasn't that fussed about it and i loved Posey, with her determination to be a gloamist. she was a mess too and making some questionable decisions, but she comes through for Charlie and i liked that she got some healing at the end too.
- the ending was bittersweet but in kind of a perfect way. I liked the possibility of Vince/Red getting his memory back and that Charlie wasn't gonna quit on him.
- Salt was such a good villain too, and Charlie's horror story past of meeting him first was so well done and creepy, because she was so young and relatively defenseless then, but still managed to keep her wits. she's such a survivor :)
- i definitely felt the similarity between BoN and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. There's no dark academia, but the main characters are both 'not on their first mistake, but maybe their last' (as Black put it), a bit older, survivors and smart but jaded and making bad mistakes. there were strong resonances in the magic too, even though it's entirely different, there's the same wild danger of it and not quite knowing how it actually works or how the magic arises/the shadow is quickened. And there was a similar complex, mystery-based plot where both had too many names and was a bit confusing. but i loved both books all the same, and that type of tired-but-fierce female MC who is holding onto life with her teeth is the best :))
cons:
- there's a lot of names. i definitely got lost. Malik and Mahir i muddled up, i forgot who Paul Ecco and Adam and a bunch of the others, as well as small clues like the magnet Charlie found. i did rush through a bit, but it was still pretty complicated
- i did also find that Charlie's chaos kind of spilled into the plot? so i got lost a bit about how much time this was all taking, and the clues/plots/twists and turns felt very haphazard, according to just when the thought showed up in Charlie's mind. it definitely felt organic, but maybe a bit too much so
- also i'm not quite sure what was hinted at with Vince and Adelaine? did she have a relationship with Red? or Vince? or did she hurt Red when Vince wasn't there? idk
But overall, adored it and can't wait for book 2 :D
pros:
- the magic!!! i haven't read a book (that i remember) with shadow magic in it and i loved the whole thing. the alterationists, quickened shadows, the way the magic became known to the general public through the internet, etc. all of it :D
- Charlie. She's such a mess but she never really means badly by it and I loved how there's the reveal at the end how's she's been holding herself back because she's been afraid of what happens when she really tries. Her nickname of the Charlatan, her past with Rand, her really grey morality but still being loyal and good at heart, as well as her proud sexuality and her relationship with Vince - she doesn't realise how much she likes him and they've kept so many secrets, and yet they're both totally dedicated to the other and i loved that :)
- all the other characters!! Vince was amazing
- Salt was such a good villain too, and Charlie's horror story past of meeting him first was so well done and creepy, because she was so young and relatively defenseless then, but still managed to keep her wits. she's such a survivor :)
- i definitely felt the similarity between BoN and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. There's no dark academia, but the main characters are both 'not on their first mistake, but maybe their last' (as Black put it), a bit older, survivors and smart but jaded and making bad mistakes. there were strong resonances in the magic too, even though it's entirely different, there's the same wild danger of it and not quite knowing how it actually works or how the magic arises/the shadow is quickened. And there was a similar complex, mystery-based plot where both had too many names and was a bit confusing. but i loved both books all the same, and that type of tired-but-fierce female MC who is holding onto life with her teeth is the best :))
cons:
- there's a lot of names. i definitely got lost. Malik and Mahir i muddled up, i forgot who Paul Ecco and Adam and a bunch of the others, as well as small clues like the magnet Charlie found. i did rush through a bit, but it was still pretty complicated
- i did also find that Charlie's chaos kind of spilled into the plot? so i got lost a bit about how much time this was all taking, and the clues/plots/twists and turns felt very haphazard, according to just when the thought showed up in Charlie's mind. it definitely felt organic, but maybe a bit too much so
But overall, adored it and can't wait for book 2 :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Self harm, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Body horror, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, and Cursing
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Incest, and Forced institutionalization
the self harm is only explicitly for finger pricks for blood, but there's a lot of bad, self-sabotaging decisionsnicoley3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Murder, and Sexual content
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have been a Holly Black fan since I was seventeen and first picked up her Modern Fairy Tale series, and after reading all of the subsequent releases she’s become an auto buy author for me, I loved The Coldest Girl In Coldtown, The Darkest Part of The Forest, The Folk of The Air series and even the first book in the Curseworkers series (which I enjoyed but still need to read the rest of that series.)
Now, I absolutely loved her early style of writing which I found a lot darker and imbued with a grittier realism that we don’t see as much of in her work post The Cruel Prince. With the announcement of her first adult fantasy, I had high hopes that the grittier tone would make a reappearance in The Book of Night. And for the most part, I’d say it did!
The wickedly dark, urban fantasy tone that I’d come to know and love in Kaye and Roiben’s story is back. But instead of duplicitous fae, we get shadowy magicians, a murder mystery and a retired criminal and a high stakes heist that I was definitely invested in.
I loved Charlie our protagonist and resident underdog and she tries to unravel the mystery she’s unexpectedly connected to, magnificently unravelling one plot twist after another. I do warn that the mystery aspect is pretty intregal to the plot and so, despite being fantasy it does read more like a mystery that happens to have magic/ fantastical elements rather than a straight urban fantasy.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling the plot but, if like me you’ve read and enjoyed The Modern Faerie Tales or The Curseworkers series—or are partial to urban fantasy with elements of dark realism and a ton of plot twists, then I definitely recommend checking this out. If you’re looking for the next Cruel Prince however, you may find yourself a little disappointed.
Personally I absolutely loved this and feel the only downside was the cliffhanger ending. I’m hoping this is the start of a series and not a standalone because I really need to know what happens next!
Now, I absolutely loved her early style of writing which I found a lot darker and imbued with a grittier realism that we don’t see as much of in her work post The Cruel Prince. With the announcement of her first adult fantasy, I had high hopes that the grittier tone would make a reappearance in The Book of Night. And for the most part, I’d say it did!
The wickedly dark, urban fantasy tone that I’d come to know and love in Kaye and Roiben’s story is back. But instead of duplicitous fae, we get shadowy magicians, a murder mystery and a retired criminal and a high stakes heist that I was definitely invested in.
I loved Charlie our protagonist and resident underdog and she tries to unravel the mystery she’s unexpectedly connected to, magnificently unravelling one plot twist after another. I do warn that the mystery aspect is pretty intregal to the plot and so, despite being fantasy it does read more like a mystery that happens to have magic/ fantastical elements rather than a straight urban fantasy.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling the plot but, if like me you’ve read and enjoyed The Modern Faerie Tales or The Curseworkers series—or are partial to urban fantasy with elements of dark realism and a ton of plot twists, then I definitely recommend checking this out. If you’re looking for the next Cruel Prince however, you may find yourself a little disappointed.
Personally I absolutely loved this and feel the only downside was the cliffhanger ending. I’m hoping this is the start of a series and not a standalone because I really need to know what happens next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Addiction and Incest
ode_to_readers's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
4.5
WTF WAS THAT ENDING EXCUSE ME HOLLY BLACK
Okay so the book was a little slow to begin with, the build up and understanding of how shadows worked and the lingo being a struggle. The chapters flick between past and present, Charlie and others. It's both a good thing and a bad thing because the in-between chapters give some more depth but they happen just as there's a cliffhanger on the previous chapter so half the time I'm tempted to skip forward.
At first I didn't really care for Charlie all that much. I like her now but there's still something I can't quite place my finger on why she bothers me. However, Vince became my favourite about half way through and I loved their relationship with each other.
Towards the end of the book, the amount of times you think something is about to happen the way you want it to and Holly just snatches that hope right out of your hands. And then does it again and again.
AND THAT ENDING?!?!?!
Okay so the book was a little slow to begin with, the build up and understanding of how shadows worked and the lingo being a struggle. The chapters flick between past and present, Charlie and others. It's both a good thing and a bad thing because the in-between chapters give some more depth but they happen just as there's a cliffhanger on the previous chapter so half the time I'm tempted to skip forward.
At first I didn't really care for Charlie all that much. I like her now but there's still something I can't quite place my finger on why she bothers me. However, Vince became my favourite about half way through and I loved their relationship with each other.
Towards the end of the book, the amount of times you think something is about to happen the way you want it to and Holly just snatches that hope right out of your hands. And then does it again and again.
AND THAT ENDING?!?!?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Drug use, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content and Cancer
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy of this to review! I think almost everyone knows Holly Black from her young adult books, but this is her first foray into adult fantasy. For the most part, I'd say that it is a success! Especially if you enjoy dark, atmospheric fantasy.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book is the unique magic system. Literally using shadow magic makes for an interesting magical world. Even if at times, it gets a little gruesome, since blood is often needed to make the magic work. In general, I think Holly Black is great at writing magic systems, and this is definitely on display in this book. Honestly, I wish most of the beginning had been focused on how this particular magic works instead of giving us so much of Charlie's backstory.
However, the first half of this book is definitely pretty slow moving. It takes the plot a long time to get going, so much so that it's difficult to see where the plot might even be going at first. Once you get about halfway through, the plot starts to pick up, with more twists and action. The overall tone and pacing is quite different from her YA series, in my opinion. Those are easy to fly through, while Book of Night takes its time.
Don't let that turn you away if you're a Holly Black fan, though! Even if the beginning is a bit slow, if you're a fan of her writing, you'll probably still enjoy this book. Just go into it knowing that you won't necessarily get that might action from the get go.
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If you like Holly Black, you will probably like this! It's dark, it's twisty, it has morally grey characters. But there were just a few things that made it not necessarily hold up for me. Stay tuned for a full review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Addiction
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for an arc of this book.
Charlie Hall has lived her life making cons, but she's trying to ride the straight and narrow. When she sees a shadow tear another man apart, she gets dragged into her old life of gloamists and danger and stealing.
This was so highly anticipated for me because I absolutely love Holly Black! This was a great debut into adult writing and if you've read any reviews of this yet, you'll know everyone is wondering if there will be a sequel. If not--that was a bold ending!
The writing is really good and I seriously love Charlie. She is such a compelling main character and her motivations are so interesting to read about. I also really enjoyed Vince, though I wish he was in it a bit more--I feel like his character could have been developed better.
I think knowing if this is going to have a sequel or not would really affect my rating. Right now, I'm basing this assuming it is a standalone, and it left a little to be desired in the end. Hopefully there will be more Charlie to come!
Charlie Hall has lived her life making cons, but she's trying to ride the straight and narrow. When she sees a shadow tear another man apart, she gets dragged into her old life of gloamists and danger and stealing.
This was so highly anticipated for me because I absolutely love Holly Black! This was a great debut into adult writing and if you've read any reviews of this yet, you'll know everyone is wondering if there will be a sequel. If not--that was a bold ending!
The writing is really good and I seriously love Charlie. She is such a compelling main character and her motivations are so interesting to read about. I also really enjoyed Vince, though I wish he was in it a bit more--I feel like his character could have been developed better.
I think knowing if this is going to have a sequel or not would really affect my rating. Right now, I'm basing this assuming it is a standalone, and it left a little to be desired in the end. Hopefully there will be more Charlie to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Gore, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Self harm